Feature

Litton Brings Exciting Educational Programming to the Daytime Emmys

By Carleigh Stiehm, HearstPublished on 04.28.17

Litton Entertainment—which became part of the Hearst Television network of businesses this year—earned eight nominations for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards. Founder, President & CEO Dave Morgan discusses this success.

When the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards get underway on Sunday, April 30, the scene won’t be anything new for Dave Morgan. As founder, president and CEO of Litton Entertainment, Morgan has seen his shows nominated for 58 Daytime Emmys and 15 wins.

But something about this year feels different.

“There is a lot more content that has flooded the market recently in our space of family programming, and we could not feel more honored to have been called out as some of the best this year,” he said. Litton Entertainment is a leading producer and distributor of content that airs across leading broadcast networks.

Across the lineup of Saturday morning programming, Litton pulled in eight nominations for 2017.

“Our nominations this year are in some of the most competitive categories,” Morgan said, explaining that this year stands apart from others for being particularly talent-driven. “It says we are doing something right in our casting division.”

Litton has three nominations all vying to win in the highly-competitive ‘Outstanding Host’ category: Jenna Bush Hager for Give, Danny Seo for Naturally and Rocky Kanaka for Save Our Shelter.

“It feels great to be nominated,” Bush Hager said of finding out she had been nominated for the Daytime Emmy. Each episode of Give brings viewers to the world of philanthropy with small charities that are working hard to make a big impact.

Give Co-Host Jenna Bush Hager has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the 'Outstanding Host' category.

In addition to Bush Hager’s nomination, Give also picked up recognition in the ‘Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Series’ category. “Most importantly I love that the show is nominated. It’s a show that highlights the big work of the people around our country,” she said.

What sets Litton’s programming apart from much of the competition is the integration of educational and informational programming that is enjoyable to watch across generational lines, Morgan explained.

One of the many challenges of producing quality Saturday morning programming is formulating shows that fall into the E/I, or education and informational, category as defined by the Federal Communications Commission. This category requires that shows fall into specific filters offering education to their audience.

Crafting programming that both falls into this E/I category and can stand on its own with entertainment value has been a challenge that not many companies have been able to face, Morgan said.

“We understand the psychology of viewing behind co-viewing,” Morgan said. “Our job is to appeal to kids and teens but also to appeal to the parents of those teens who want to enjoy time together watching the same shows. There is a lot of co-viewing going on already in television, and understanding how to produce programming that engages at all levels is Litton’s secret sauce.”

For Give Co-Host and Executive Producer Blair Underwood, Litton’s unique approach to co-viewing was what brought him to the production company.

“It’s a win-win-win. Philanthropies win, those we help on the show win and our viewers win. This kind of show is inspirational programming at its best,” Underwood said.

Give Co-Host Blair Underwood will be a presenter at the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards.

In addition to seeing Give nominated, Underwood will also be attending the Daytime Emmys as a show presenter. Unlike past years, the 2017 Awards will be livestreamed.

Underwood has watched this play out in the outpouring of support that Give has seen across social media. The impact that the show has had on the lives of viewers is something that drives the team to continue pushing forward.

“I hope viewers see how one person can make a huge difference,” Bush Hager said. “A lot of these not for profits started as a dream and have now turned into organizations that are doing valuable work. I hope families watch, discuss philanthropy, and realize how good it feels to give."

For Litton, a new focus on digital content means producing and sharing clips that are accessible for audiences digitally, across streaming services and on social media. This is especially important given how technology-oriented the youngest generation of viewers has become.

Innovation is at the core of all of Litton’s business, but the end mission of the company has never changed regardless of its successes.

“We have put together an amazing team of people, who are all committed to doing good in the world,” Morgan said.